Trumps claims Obama "lied" about cash for Iran's US prisoners

[rooster59]

Trumps claims Obama "lied" about cash for Iran's US prisoners

 

Robert Hackwill

 

 

The US State Department has admitted for the first time that a 400 million dollar cash payment made to Iran ordered by a tribunal was withheld until four US prisoners were released.

 

The men were released in a prisoner exchange following the 2015 deal on Iran’s nuclear programme. The State Department insisted it had been a snap decision.

 

“When you’re inside that 24 hour period and you already now have concerns about the endgame in terms of getting your Americans out, it would have been foolish, and prudent, irresponsible, for us not to try to maintain maximum leverage,” said spokesman John Kirby.

 

President Barack Obama announced in January the release of the money, frozen since 1981, an action ruled illegal by the US-Iran Hague Claims Tribunal, plus 1.3 billion dollars interest.

 

The electioneering presidential hopeful Donald Trump says it is more proof Obama is dishonest.

 

“He denied it was for the hostages but it was. Just came out. He said ‘We don’t pay ransom,’ but we did. He lied about the hostages, openly and blatantly,” he said at his latest rally.

 

The Republicans are hammering away at what they see as the Democrats’ foreign policy failures with Donald Trump insisting candidate Hillary Clinton will just deliver more of the same, and insisting there are dangerous secrets behind that Iran deal.

 

 

-- © Copyright Euronews 2016-08-20

[Ulysses G.]

Of course he lied.Trump is correct!

[Scotwight]

No wonder Hillary is afraid to have a press conference.  How long has it been?

[ezzra]

Not before Obama, and not after him there will be a US president that championed the cause, he's the best thing that ever happened to Muslims and Arab worldwide, Iran, and millions of illegal immigrants that flooded the US illegally under his watch, to put it past him that he didn't pay the $400 millions is like saying he didn't want to close Gitmo........

[simple1]

5 minutes ago, ezzra said:

Not before Obama, and not after him there will be a US president that championed

the cause, he's the best thing that ever happened to Muslims and Arab worldwide,

Iran, and millions of illegal immigrants that flooded the US illegally under his watch,

to put it past him that he didn't pay the $400 millions is like saying he didn't want

to close Gitmo........

 

The number of illegal immigrants in the US peaked prior to Obama becoming President, since then has declined albeit slowly.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illegal_immigration_to_the_United_States

 

Obama just cannot win either way according to some people. Obama administration commitment to withdraw military from Muslim conflict areas (election platform) has been a negative for the Muslim world e.g. withdrawal of military from Iraq after the successes against AQI, without having a stable political environment. Under resourcing in Afghanistan leading to the reemergence of the Taliban and rise of Daesh etc

[Ulysses G.]

2 minutes ago, simple1 said:

 

Obama just cannot win either way according to some people.

 

 

Don't worry. There are plenty of automatons that praise his every move - no matter how senseless. It all evens out in the end.

[jaidam]

45 minutes ago, Ulysses G. said:

Of course he lied.Trump is correct!

 There can be no possible denials over this. Obama was caught in a dirty big lie, one that he kept doubling down on. What concerns me was his glibness and ease shown over this very public, and very serious lie. It makes me wonder what else has he been lying about in such a brazen fashion? One thing that comes to mind is the whole mumbo-jumbo Kenya, no Hawaii saga. Clearly lies(again)

[Boon Mee]

1 hour ago, Ulysses G. said:

Of course he lied.Trump is correct!

Whenever he opens his mouth he lies. 

[DM07]

...and your prove for this, iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis...?

[Andreas2]

Don't be so harsh with President Obama.

His wording was only extremely careless, no intention to see here for any reasonable prosecutor. Obama regrets - he really does - if his wording may have caused any confusion or even anger with some low information people. This only shows how woefully unfit the people are to have him as their president.

 

Calling him a liar is only further proof that Mr. Trump is <fill in whatever lame collectivist, sjw babble comes to mind; The more offensive the better>. Withholding money until the release of prisoners is NOT ransom - Every high information person knows that! It's semantics that matter, stupid!

[Scott]

The next off-topic post and subsequent posters will be on a 30 day suspension.

 

You have been warned.  

 

 

[SABloke]

24 minutes ago, DM07 said:

...and your prove for this, iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis...?

 

The US State Department has admitted for the first time that a 400 million dollar cash payment made to Iran ordered by a tribunal was withheld until four US prisoners were released. 

[boomerangutang]

Trump strategists doing what they're best at:  finding fault.

 

But wait a cottonpickenminute!  Who is their opponent?   Maybe someone needs to tell them they're running against HRC, not Obama.

 

But don't bother telling Trumpsters to put forth specific policy proposals.  All they've got are sweeping generalities - that is, when they're not trying to deny what they said the previous day - or characterize it as satire/joking around.

 

 

[Alive]

It wasn't a payment for them; the US just wanted them before it gave their frozen money from decades ago back. Trump won't gain anything from trying to spin this because you can't spin it. It's pretty clear.

[Pinot]

2 hours ago, Ulysses G. said:

Of course he lied.Trump is correct!

 

The payment was scheduled. The hostages (prisoners picked up in Iran waters?) were being let go. There is no reason for Obama to be lying. It's just Republicans having nothing and continuing the policy of constantly accusing Obama of bullshit they make up. Isn't it a little too late to be still working on Obama? The window for impeachment is no longer there. Why waste time on Obama when there is bullshit to be made up on HRC? 

 

2 hours ago, jaidam said:

 There can be no possible denials over this. Obama was caught in a dirty big lie, one that he kept doubling down on. What concerns me was his glibness and ease shown over this very public, and very serious lie. It makes me wonder what else has he been lying about in such a brazen fashion? One thing that comes to mind is the whole mumbo-jumbo Kenya, no Hawaii saga. Clearly lies(again)

 

Oh boy. Kenya? Obama lies? Dirty big lie? Come on...it makes me wonder what Republicans are going to be doing with themselves when the Republican party ceases to exist after November. 

 

1 hour ago, Boon Mee said:

Whenever he opens his mouth he lies. 

 

Really? That's all you got? (sigh) 

 

31 minutes ago, Alive said:

It wasn't a payment for them; the US just wanted them before it gave their frozen money from decades ago back. Trump won't gain anything from trying to spin this because you can't spin it. It's pretty clear.

 

Don't bother throwing facts at them. They have their own set of facts they hear from Faux News, otherwise known as Faux facts. 

[TGIR]

What is clear now is that President blatantly lied TWICE in the same press conference.

 

First, he lied about the 400 million being used as ransom money.  The State Department has admitted it.  Obviously the President knew it and for some reason chose to lie about it.  Explicitly.  His statement that "there was nothing nefarious about this"  was a big fat lie.

 

Secondly, and much less contentious, is the President's claim the money couldn't wire transferred, thus the need to send cash.  It is inconceivable that he had no idea that the SWIFT money transfer system was available.  All you need is a bank account number and receiving bank's SWIFT access code to make a SWIFT transfer.  In fact, IRAN has more than 50 SWIFT access codes.  Sending $400 million dollars IN CASH,  to anyone or any country simply reeks of dishonesty. 

 

One has to wonder, if the President of our country can lie so easily about this, what else has his administration lied about?  

[Ulysses G.]

3 minutes ago, Pinot said:

 

The payment was scheduled. The hostages (prisoners picked up in Iran waters?) were being let go. 

 

Just one big coincidence. 

[Alive]

The money is Iranian. It was frozen. There was an agreement to return it. If anything Obama got something extra while returning it.

[Ulysses G.]

1 minute ago, Alive said:

The money is Iranian. It was frozen. 

 

And it just happened to take place right when the prisoners were being released. It just happened that they were not released until the money was delivered. Serendipity. 

 

 

[Alive]

Well, maybe you are right Ulysses. It might be like Reagan's October surprise where he helped the Iranians get weaponry for their terrorism in exchange for prisoner release. Reagan should have been executed for treason. He was a total sellout to the terrorists. And after what they had just done to America!

[Emster23]

1 hour ago, Alive said:

It wasn't a payment for them; the US just wanted them before it gave their frozen money from decades ago back. Trump won't gain anything from trying to spin this because you can't spin it. It's pretty clear.

 That would be true if Trump types actually read the facts. But they don't. I'd put it in category like someone owes you $100. You meet him in a bar and he says "Buy me a beer and I'll pay you back", so you do. Were you then paid $100 for the beer? No, it is just "leverage".

[boomerangutang]

The payment was a portion of a larger balance plus accrued % that was fronted by Iranian government to the US arms makers decades ago - for a deal gone bad.  Americans are giving back money which rightly belongs to Iranians.   That's something Trump has trouble understanding:  He doesn't understand being responsible with money.   For him, it's the rachet affect:   He gets money any way he can (from his dad, from banks, by lying, by cheating investors, by false advertising....)  and then does everything he can to avoid paying back what he owes.   That's why he doesn't understand the concept of the US government meeting its responsibilities, and that's why Trump would further bankrupt the US if he ever got his small hands on the levers of power.

[Srikcir]

The payment was scheduled as per the G7 and Iran nuclear agreement. There were no further conditions to withhold these funds. But Obama essentially backstabbed Iran by adding a last minute, out of script condition to assure release of the hostages. That's very dirty diplomacy!

 

Score one for the Great Satan.

[iReason]

[Boon Mee]

"The Wall Street Journal has rather authoritatively demonstrated that the payment was a ransom in common parlance, of the Groucho Marx who- ya-gonna-believe? variety. The Journal’s most recent story on it, the second by Jay Solomon and Carol Lee, shows up the Obama version as a lie, bald-faced division. The story — “U.S. held cash until Iran freed prisoners” — is accessible online via Google here. "

 

http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2016/08/the-ransom-that-dare-not-speak-its-name.php

 

Read the whole thing.  Money quote:   "The ransom payment has done great harm. If President Obama’s words have any credibility, the ransom payment has damaged it".

Edited August 20, 2016 by Boon Mee

[Srikcir]

9 hours ago, Ulysses G. said:

Of course he lied.Trump is correct!

Maybe Obama was just being sarcastic.

[Boon Mee]

We certainly hope the following set of facts will put the final nail in this coffin:

 

Yesterday, the Obama administration finally admitted that its $400 million cash payment to Iran was contingent on the release of a group of American prisoners. State Department spokesman John Kirby said that the U.S. withheld the delivery of the cash as “leverage” until Iran permitted the Americans to leave the country.

There was also this exchange:

In basic English, you’re saying you wouldn’t give them $400 million in cash until the prisoners were released, correct?

That’s correct.

http://nypost.com/2016/08/18/state-department-400m-cash-to-iran-was-contingent-on-us-prisoners-release/

 

[slipperylobster]

Of course Obama lied.  Of course Hillary lies.

democrats are liars....period.

 

Thats why we want them out.

 

Problem is....left nutters don't care about anything but a woman becoming president.   Does it make sense?   Not to me.

 

[Boon Mee]

"The common definition of a ransom is “money that is paid in order to free someone who has been captured or kidnapped.” Since, as Kirby said yesterday, we wouldn’t give Iran the money unless the prisoners were released, the money was paid in order to free them. In other words, the money was a ransom.

 

Everyone knew this. Now Team Obama has finally admitted it"

Indeed. 

Edited August 20, 2016 by Boon Mee

[Emster23]

Boon Mee article states " U.S. withheld the delivery of the cash as “leverage” until Iran permitted the Americans to leave the country." Why can't you get it through your heads that we were returning Iran's money, not US money? Sooner or later they would get their money back, unless US decided to steal it by keeping it. US just added that little condition of "release the prisoners and you'll get it sooner rather than later". If I pay off "ransom" with kidnappers money, does that make me any worse off money wise?.